Exercises We Love to Hate
The Top 5 Exercises We Love to Hate
We’ll admit it—we’re fitness nuts (as if you couldn’t already tell). We’re living proof of the statement “working out can be addictive”. The feeling of accomplishment mixed with the endorphin rush you get after a great workout is tough to match.
But no matter how much someone can love working out, there are always those few exercises that you just despise—but know you need to do them because they produce results!! Worst of all, some of them look really simple and seem like they’re not that bad, but after just 3 reps, you may begin to question why you even got out of bed.
In the interest of spreading the love with you, we’ve put together 5 of our favorite exercises we love to hate. As good rule of thumb, the weirder the name, the more difficult it is!!!
1. Suicides
If you’ve ever played organized basketball before, you’re probably all too familiar with suicides. Suicides have been known to exhaust even the fittest of athletes. But with good reason: the sprinting done during suicides is amazing for building cardiovascular strength, speed and agility.
2. Tire Flips
How hard can it really be to flip a tire over? A car tire; no problem. A tractor tire; easier said than done!! The mainstay of strongmen competitions isn’t just for guys the size of a Peterbilt anymore. Though you may get dirty, tire flipping is a fantastic total body work out that will strengthen everything from your legs, to your arms and everything in between. Just be sure to know your limits and choose a tire you can actually flip over multiple times.
3. The Turkish Get-up
Yes, funny name. But let’s see how much you’re laughing after performing a couple of these bad boys. Performed with either a dumbbell, kettlebell or if you’re wild, enough a full bar, the Turkish Get-up is an exercise we can’t help but love to hate. If you’re short on time and want to get a great total body workout in, Turkish Get-ups will do just that.
4. Pull-ups
A good old fashioned gym class nemesis—the pull-up. I don’t think I’m alone here in that I may have had a nightmare induced by pull ups. Pull-ups can truly humble just about any who attempt. But nothing can boost self-esteem more than being able to crank out more pull-ups than you expect!! Give it a shot—you might surprise yourself.
5. Burpees
The not-so-menacing name sends chills down the spine of those who are familiar with it. The exercise, created in the 1930’s by its namesake physiologist Royal H. Burpee, was developed as a fitness test by the good doctor. I guess we have him to thank for this grueling exercise. To the uninitiated, the burpee seems like a breeze; squat, sprawl, push up, squat and then a vertical jump. Like the exercises listed before, burpees humble all who attempt. The basic burpee works your whole body, but if you want a change of pace, try one of its many different flavors (I dare you!!).
Think you’ve surpassed every exercise in a book? We dare you to give these 5 a try!! Who knows? You just might be crazy enough to enjoy them. There is no doubt that these exercises will test your dedication to fitness. But get through them and you’ll see the results that make us hate to love these exercises!!